Samyang 14mm 2.4 reviews, but where to buy

I see that there are reviews out there for the new Samyang 14mm 2.4.

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/samyang-premium-mf-14mm-f-2-4-lens-review-30229
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/samyang_premium_mf_14mm_f2_4_review/

Of course, neither of these reviews covers the one thing people most want to know - how well it handles coma. My suspicion though is that it does a very good job since Samyang is one of the few companies that knows how to do this.

They give it a list price of 899 Pounds.

However, I don't see it listed at B&H or elsewhere. Has anyone seen it for sale?
 
Maybe there is a reason that coma is not addressed. It may be present in amounts that annoy.

Also vingetting needs to be reasonable to be correctable.

My astro shots are usually at iso 3200 (preferably) or at 6400 for 30 seconds at f 2.8.
At f 2.4 with the new Rokinon either i can stay at 3200 iso or get a little more exposure which is always nice, and give me more to work with.
The 30 seconds come from the 500 rule to avoid star trails. Exposure times for no trails is 500/ lens focal length. And for simplicity 30 seconds is available without an intervalometer. The 14mm lens actually yields a trackless time of 35 seconds.

I've been tempted to get the zeiss 15mm f2.8 used but that half stop of extra light from the new rokinon would be a great differentiator.

The shot below was rokinon 14mm f2.8 at 30 sec. light painted foreground.
 

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I just got my copy of the Samyang XP 14/2.4 today. So far I am impressed. Well built, premium feeling, smooth focusing ring with long throw. Sharp. My quick test revealed a very controlled coma, even at f/2.4 in the corners on FF. Way better than the EF 14/2.8L II, which is terrible in comparison. The Samyang has sharper corners than the 14L, but the latter appears to be slightly sharper in the centre.

Samyang QC seems improved, or at least there were no obvious asymmetries indicative of lens misalignments that I have seen previously in another Samyang lens. Of course, only one copy, but at least it's good.

No AF, of course, but I honestly don't miss it for a 14mm lens.

The only major drawback so far is the vignetting, which is so severe that I'm not sure I would generally want to use it for astroscapes at 2.4. It improves quickly when stopping down, but that sort of negates the purpose of having a fast prime. The 14L has much less vignetting.

Here is a nice review I found with some ephasis on astroscapes:
http://gippslandimages.com.au/blog/2016/12/samyang-14mm-f2-4-xp---lens-review
 
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chrysoberyl said:
I ordered stateside 12/30, noting 'more in stock soon' message. Customer Service now says end of month.

And it is Rokinon, not Samyang; what is the difference?

They're the same company - just different names. I also ordered the Rokinon 14/2.4 on 12/30. I have the Rokinon 24/1.4 and it works great for night photography but horribly for anything else. I'm hoping the 14/2.4 outperforms it in both areas.

AM2I7337-Edit-2.jpg by Joseph Calev, on Flickr
 
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kirispupis said:
chrysoberyl said:
I ordered stateside 12/30, noting 'more in stock soon' message. Customer Service now says end of month.

And it is Rokinon, not Samyang; what is the difference?

They're the same company - just different names. I also ordered the Rokinon 14/2.4 on 12/30. I have the Rokinon 24/1.4 and it works great for night photography but horribly for anything else. I'm hoping the 14/2.4 outperforms it in both areas.

Nice shot - taken with the 24mm 1.4? Was it cropped?
 
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chrysoberyl said:
kirispupis said:
chrysoberyl said:
I ordered stateside 12/30, noting 'more in stock soon' message. Customer Service now says end of month.

And it is Rokinon, not Samyang; what is the difference?

They're the same company - just different names. I also ordered the Rokinon 14/2.4 on 12/30. I have the Rokinon 24/1.4 and it works great for night photography but horribly for anything else. I'm hoping the 14/2.4 outperforms it in both areas.

Nice shot - taken with the 24mm 1.4? Was it cropped?

Thanks! Not cropped.
 
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Mar 25, 2011
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From what I can tell, both Rokinon and Samyang are part of Elite Brands which produces several different product lines under different names, and will rebrand a product for you, as long as you purchase a minimum quantity. They sell under both Rokinon and Samyang Brands.

http://www.elitebrands.com/

If laying out big bucks for one of their lenses, just wait until B&H, Amazon, Adorama, or a reputable company has it in stock. In the past, their lenses have had a relatively high rate of problems, so you'll want to get yours from a company that will do a hassle free exchange of a defective product.
 
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Mt Spokane Photography said:
From what I can tell, both Rokinon and Samyang are part of Elite Brands which produces several different product lines under different names, and will rebrand a product for you, as long as you purchase a minimum quantity. They sell under both Rokinon and Samyang Brands.

http://www.elitebrands.com/

If laying out big bucks for one of their lenses, just wait until B&H, Amazon, Adorama, or a reputable company has it in stock. In the past, their lenses have had a relatively high rate of problems, so you'll want to get yours from a company that will do a hassle free exchange of a defective product.

Thanks for the advice! When I developed a serious interest in photography 4 years ago, I got burned by not carefully testing my lenses. I bought one with really inconsistent AF and attributed the problem to my low skill level. Good to know that Samyang/Rokinon has had serious quality problems.
 
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kirispupis said:
chrysoberyl said:
kirispupis said:
chrysoberyl said:
I ordered stateside 12/30, noting 'more in stock soon' message. Customer Service now says end of month.

And it is Rokinon, not Samyang; what is the difference?

They're the same company - just different names. I also ordered the Rokinon 14/2.4 on 12/30. I have the Rokinon 24/1.4 and it works great for night photography but horribly for anything else. I'm hoping the 14/2.4 outperforms it in both areas.

Nice shot - taken with the 24mm 1.4? Was it cropped?

Thanks! Not cropped.

Thanks, Joseph. Motorized tracking (25 sec. exposure, no star trails)? If so, which tracking device?
 
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